PLA Navy chief visited Paracels, Taiwan's intelligence boss says
Wu Shengli spent a week inspecting construction projects in the South China Sea, head of Taiwanese intelligence says
PLA Navy chief Wu Shengli spent a week inspecting Beijing's construction projects on disputed islands in the South China Seas and oversaw a naval drill last month, Taiwan's intelligence boss has said.
An extended visit by a top-ranking defence chief to the area would be rare and was interpreted in Taiwan as further evidence of Beijing's determination to bolster its hold over the potentially energy-rich waters.
Wu made the visit to the Paracel Islands towards the end of the month, Lee Hsiang-chou, the director-general of the island's National Security Bureau, told the Legislative Yuan on Wednesday, the United Daily News reported yesterday.
Beijing has seven construction projects in the chain, with five being approved during the administration of President Xi Jinping. Wu inspected each of them, Lee said. "The goal of [the reclamation effort] is to turn islets into ramparts and islands into battlefields," Lee told the Yuan, the News reported.
He said Wu observed a joint drill by the navy and air force off Fiery Cross Reef, known as Yongshu in Chinese, and which the Philippines also claims.
